Hanneke Benadé Explores ‘A Sense of Place’ at House Union Block Art Gallery in Cape Town

Hanneke Benadé’s larger-than-life pastel drawings are exquisitely detailed glimpses into her subject matter her latest solo exhibition, Sense of Place, showing at House Union Block. The South African artist explores the connection between subject and landscape that reflects a sense of belonging in both physical and metaphorical landscapes. For instance, a chair represents both a place of rest and reflection and the act of claiming space.

A situational study of the artist’s appreciation for landscapes

Benadé uses pastels as her medium of choice to create evocative works that are rooted in realism. In the past, her lifelike drawings have been character studies, capturing the emotions of her models through portraiture.

However, in this solo show, the artist evolves by exploring the connection between the subject and the landscape in what she describes as ‘an interplay of emotions, memories and experiences that shape our sense of place’. This situational collection holds significance for Benadé as an artist, as it embodies the relationship between ourselves and the natural world, and how our environment influences our identity, perspective and sense of belonging.

‘It embodies the connection we have with the environments we inhabit, whether physical or emotional and the ways in which these landscapes shape our understanding of self,’ explains Benadé.

This art exhibition in Cape Town features a total of five larger pieces and twenty smaller works. The series of smaller pieces are still-life ‘portraits’ of objects that inhabit a certain space in Benadé’s life, including flowers, spoons, fruit and tableware.